Services & Maintenance: The Green Standard

January 1, 2010

Services & Maintenance: The Green Standard

By Dan Wagner

Published in the January 2010 issue of Today’s Facility Manager

Green. Sustainable. Environmentally preferable. For many, these buzzwords represent the principles of a new approach to facility management (FM). In this environment, facility managers (fms) concerned with sustainability have many options for implementing “green” technologies and alternatives. From water conservation to energy use reduction to waste management, fms can participate in the green revolution in many ways.

One opportunity lies in ongoing operations and maintenance, especially green cleaning. But what elements of a green cleaning program should fms look for? And how can they ensure their cleaning service providers (whether in-house or outsourced) are capable of delivering on promises and meeting organizational expectations?

The key components of a quality green cleaning program are outlined in the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and its latest addition—the CIMS-Green Building (GB) criteria. Administered by ISSA, the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, CIMS offers fms a resource to ensure their service providers are committed to the principles of green and to maintaining a high performance, healthy indoor environment.

By requiring CIMS and CIMS-GB certification from a service provider—certification being applicable to both an in-house cleaning department and a contract cleaning organization—fms can be sure their facilities will be cleaned in compliance with green best practices.

Management Remains The Key

Launched in October 2009, the CIMS-GB criteria were added as the sixth dimension to the existing CIMS Standard. The CIMS Standard sets forth a management framework to assist cleaning organizations in developing and maintaining quality, customer focused organizations. Centered on five sections of best practices, CIMS outlines the key characteristics of a successful service organization and, as such, acts as a seminal benchmarking resource for fms.

The principles outlined in the original CIMS Standard, launched in October 2007, form the foundation for a green cleaning program. After all, the end goal should be to have a clean, healthy facility—especially with increased public health threats like the H1N1 flu virus. Yet, reaching this goal demands effective management.

Fms, therefore, should ensure their cleaning service provider has implemented policies and procedures in the following areas.

Quality systems: Does the cleaning provider work with the FM department to set forth a clear set of cleaning service requirements? Has it implemented a quality plan to determine whether such requirements are met? Is there a commitment to continuous improvement?

Service delivery: Does the provider have a service delivery plan to ensure it is prepared to meet customer demands as indicated in the cleaning service requirements? Does the plan include a process for workloading, budgeting, inventory control, equipment maintenance and repair, and contingency staffing?

Human resources: How are employees selected? Does the provider invest in its workers with comprehensive training?

Health, safety, and environmental stewardship: Is the cleaning organization focused on protecting the safety of its workers and customers by committing to regulatory compliance and environmental stewardship principles?

Management commitment: What is the service provider’s corporate culture? Has it implemented a management structure that fosters continuous success?

Only those organizations committed to the principles of effective management are truly capable of servicing customers in a quality, best in class manner. And only those initially focused on effective management can move on to implementing a green cleaning program.

While the CIMS-GB criteria is largely based on specific green cleaning provisions of LEED-EBOM, its requirements exceed LEED requirements in a number of ways, allowing organizations to demonstrate commitment to sustainability. For example, while LEED-EBOM requires that 30% of chemicals meets specified green criteria, CIMS-GB specifies 60%.

Overall, CIMS-GB sets a framework to ensure service providers use environmentally preferable cleaning practices. Specifically, the criteria contain requirements in the following areas.

Green cleaning policy: The provider needs to have a green cleaning policy that sets forth standard operating procedures addressing how green cleaning practices will be used, managed, and evaluated.

Purchase of green cleaning products and materials: The provider should primarily use cleaning products, tools, and materials recognized as environmentally preferable, either through third-party certification or compliance with specific criteria. This includes chemicals, janitorial paper and trash bags, and hand soaps.

Purchase and use of cleaning equipment: The provider should move toward the use of equipment that meets applicable environmental preferability criteria and shall maintain an inventory list and maintenance/repair plan.

Indoor chemical and pollutant source control: Entryway matting needs to be sufficient to control tracking of pollutants. This matting should be effectively maintained.

Integrated pest management (IPM): To the extent the cleaning provider offers IPM services, it shall commit to integrated methods that reduce chemical use to the greatest extent possible.

Building exterior and hardscape management plan: To the extent the organization provides such services, it should implement a low impact building exterior and hardscape management plan that helps protect ecological integrity.

Solid waste management and resource conservation: If applicable, the organization should have a waste reduction and recycling plan and should make efforts to conserve resources, including cleaning materials, water, and energy during the cleaning process.

Level Of Assurance

By outlining the primary management and sustainability components of a green cleaning program, CIMS-GB serves as a resource for evaluating the capabilities of cleaning service providers. And certification helps to increase confidence.

For fms who use an outsourced cleaning provider, requiring certification takes much of the work out of the prequalification and selection process. It is for this reason Steve Spencer, facilities manager at State Farm Insurance, has joined other end users like the State of Massachusetts, Region One of the General Services Administration (GSA), and the ANGRC at Andrews Air Force Base in requiring certification from their providers.

A Sampling Of CIMS-GB Criteria 6. Green Buildings and Service: This section lists the Cleaning Industry Management Standard’s Green Building (CIMS-GB) requirements. It sets forth a specific framework to ensure that the organization uses environmentally preferable cleaning practices in addition to the management best practices identified in the five core sections of the Standard.In order to obtain certification to CIMS-GB, an organization must meet the requirements of this section as well as those in sections one through five of the Standard.6.1. Green Cleaning Policy 6.1.1. The organization shall have a green cleaning policy that is distinct and separate from the Environmental Policy required in Section 4.2 (Organization Policy/Environmental Management System) and that sets forth standard operating procedures addressing how green cleaning practices will be utilized, managed, and evaluated. 6.1.2. The organization shall indicate the specific buildings, group of buildings, or contracted facilities to which the green cleaning policy applies. 6.1.3. The organization shall incorporate the measurement tools, feedback cycle, and continuous improvement plan requirements set forth in Sections 1.2.d through 1.2.f. to evaluate the effectiveness of green cleaning technologies, procedures, and processes.

Source: ISSA, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association

“State Farm cannot take a chance when it comes to hiring a cleaning provider,” says Spencer. “Hire the wrong company, and you face the possibility of having to re-bid the contract. Further, a poorly run company poses security concerns, risk of theft, damaged property, workers compensation involvement, and potential employee exposure to illness and injury.

“Certification greatly reduces the contractor qualification process for us,” continues Spencer. “CIMS provides the standard for making sure the contractor you hire is committed to quality and green cleaning.”

CIMS and CIMS-GB also offer benefits to fms working with in-house cleaning service providers, and certification is equally applicable to such organizations. Complying with CIMS and CIMS-GB criteria fosters improved operations and helps an in-house operation validate service and quality.

The University of Maryland (UM), College Park, department of residential facilities is the first in-house operation to achieve both CIMS and CIMS-GB certification. (Since CIMS-GB was introduced, five other in-house service providers have also been certified.)

Jeff McGee, assistant director of building services at the UM campus, notes the benefits of certification are especially important given present heightened concerns over public health issues. “The CIMS program has helped us demonstrate our value to the university and prove we provide a professional and effective service,” he says. “Further, the GB designation proves that we use sustainable practices and our primary concern remains the well-being of the students and the maintenance of a healthy environment for learning.”

As fms evaluate potential or current cleaning service providers, benchmarking and evidence of their practices can be valuable. Certification, such as the CIMS-GB standard, acts as a useful tool in determining how in-house departments or outsourced providers measure up to the organization’s needs.

Wagner, J.D., is director of facility service programs for ISSA (www.issa.com). He is primarily responsible for leading the association’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) & Certification Program and has published numerous articles and spoken at various conferences and seminars on CIMS, standardization, and quality management principles.

Download a free copy of CIMS and CIMS-GB criteria, as well as a benchmarking checklist, sample language to include in a Request for Proposal, and other contractor qualification documentation at www.issa.com/cims.

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